title: Fate of atrial septal defect in children with end-stage liver disease undergoing living donor liver transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The course of atrial septal defects (ASD) in children undergoing liver transplantation is poorly described. Our objective was to present our experience in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in children with type II ASD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 1994 and December 2006, 18/140 (12.8%) pediatric LDLT were diagnosed to have both type II ASD and end-stage liver disease. We reviewed the records of these patients. The median follow-up was 48.7 months. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 8 male and 10 female patients whose overall mean age was 12 months. There were 15 biliary atresia and 3 neonatal hepatitis patients. The median Child score was 9. The mean Pediatric Model End-stage Liver Disease score was 14. There were 13 with small (< or =4 mm), 4 with medium (5 to 9 mm), and 1 large (>10 mm) ASD. Six small ASD closed spontaneously pretransplant. Seven small ASD closed posttransplant. The medium and large ASD persisted or increased in size posttransplant. Only one patient showed hemodynamically significant ASD based on cardiac echocardiography and catheterization. This patient underwent Amplatzer closure of the ASD at 10 months posttransplant. All patients are surviving with their original grafts to date. There were no perioperative cardiac or neurologic complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This series demonstrated that LDLT can be safely performed in hemodynamically stable patients with small- to large-sized ASD. Small ASD may close pre- or posttransplant.
authors.affiliation: Organ Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: N-L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Concejero
authors.forename: C-D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000502:physiology*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome